Opportunity Knocks

Oh, the New Year is upon us...2009 has arrived! With all the parties, late night laughter, toasts and watching the "ball drop." It's all behind us now as we move into the uncharted territory of 2009. Going where no man has gone before! As most of us do, we usually start strong... with good intentions...but our New Year's "resolutions" soon become New Year's "reservations". I mean, we meant those "resolutions" to change our New Year for the better, right? But they have now become the things we will have "reservations" about for the year...the one's that got away from us, so to speak. While "resolutions", in and of themselves, are noble attempts...that's all they usually become... "noble attempts". We look for the "thing we won't do", the "habit we'll finally break", the "new behavior we'll start"...all with the intent of changing our life for the better. They usually don't, do they? In many ways, it is very similar to how many people read the bible...looking for "the rules to obey", the "command" to follow, the "promise" to claim, and the "behavior" to begin. For many of us, reading the bible is like how we approach our New Year's "resolutions". It is as if God was only concerned with rules, commands and behaviors? I wonder if we're missing something very vital with that mindset? Is God really that concerned with our performance? Doesn't the bible tell us, we are saved by God's "grace, not by works, so that no one can boast"? Yet we often live "as if" God and our eternal destiny is all about what we "do" and what we "don't do". Though we live "as if" we're scoring points for the afterlife...that is not what Jesus taught. In fact Jesus cautioned us that on Judgement Day many will come to Him and tell Him all about their great deeds...feeding the poor...miracles...and other churchy stuff...yet Jesus responds, "go away for I never knew you". Hmmm, apparently relationship with Him is more important? In the book of Corinthians it tells us that if I speak in tongues of angels...give all I have away to the poor...and do lots of churchy things...but do it without "love"... then "their is no benefit to us". Hmmm, this love & relationship stuff is taken pretty seriously by God, apparently? Wow, notice the diminishing of "doing things" for God...and the emphasis on "knowing God" and out of that "loving others" in what we do. Without that, those "things" we do are meaningless...or rather of no benefit "to us". Now it benefits the poor family you bought groceries for, but in a sense, it gets you no credit or benefit. But God does honor the things done as acts of love, motivated by God's Spirit. Our relationship with Him is central and the goal...not what we "do". Who we "are" in relationship with the "One who is Love"...is of greater concern in God's economy. This becomes a great opportunity for each of us. Instead of reading our bibles looking for the "thou shalt not's"...or the next behavior to acquire...to add to our check lists...we get to look for the heart of God! We have the opportunity to get to know the "One who is Love", better...and learn what true love is supposed to look like! It's quite a freeing thing to go from a legalistic rule oriented, performance based thing with God...to a relational journey of trust and opportunity. At ECHO, we want to continually equip people with a correct biblical view of God...the One who wants us to know Him...to trust Him...to journey through life with Him...through the good, bad and the ugly. The One who knows us better than we know ourselves, yet loves us anyway! The One who says His grace is sufficient for each of us...Lord knows we all don't have it together...so isn't it cool to be free enough to enjoy the daily opportunity of experiencing this God of Love personally! Even better to allow His love to flow through us to others! At ECHO that is an opportunity we embrace, experience, enjoy, express and explore...together!

be God's!
Brian O
Lead Pastor dude, ECHO